Where do weaknesses lie for STFC and Wellens?

In just over a fortnight, Swindon Town kick off their 19/20 League Two campaign with a trip to Glanford Park to face Scunthorpe as the Robins look to establish a good start to the season. And as STFC manager Richie Wellens prepares his side for a promotion push this upcoming season, Total Sport Swindon's Rajan Hothi takes a look at weaknesses that Swindon must overcome in order to gain promotion back to League One football.

??A major flaw for Swindon over the last couple of years has been the poor home form which has often prevented any build-up in momentum due to the frequent slip-ups at the County Ground. Wellens' side sat 17th in the home form table last season with Town winning only eight games in front of their fans with only 31 goals managed  - one of the lowest figures outside the bottom two. 

Games such as Crawley, Yeovil, Grimsby, and Port Vale all saw Town drop vital points against opposition they should be beating, especially at the County Ground. The Yeovil draw, in particular, seemed to halt any potential momentum with Swindon only winning one more game all season following their frustrating draw against the Glovers. 

Since his arrival at SN1, Wellens has stressed the importance of a feel-good factor around the club, and this will come if performances and results improve at the County Ground as the Town gaffer looks to make it a fortress for the season ahead. Attendances regularly fell below 6,000 last season, but an upturn in home form will eventually see fans flocking back to the County Ground. 

The lack of a prolific goalscorer has also haunted Swindon in recent seasons with the Robins only managing 59 league goals last term. And they have been crying out for goalscorer since the departure of Nicky Ajose in 2016. T
own's top goalscorer last season was midfielder Michael Doughty who managed to notch 13 goals, but he was the only Swindon player to reach double digits with Theo Robinson second after he managed seven goals following his loan move to the County Ground from Southend United in January.

Every team who won promotion last season had a recognised goalscorer in their ranks, and this is something Wellens is seemingly looking to address in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.  Jerry Yates has been the only striker through the door this summer and after the failed pursuit of Nicky Maynard, Wellens will be eager to secure a distinguished goalscorer before the season starts. 

Wellens and co. will also be keen to cement a stable back-line, something that proved hard for previous managers to do. Wellens has expressed his desire to play with three defenders and Swindon fans will be hoping to finally see a settled defence this season following the arrival of some strong defensive signings.

Town managed 13 clean sheets last season, but Wellens will be hoping that with an improved defence his side can improve on this figure. Far too many times last term, Swindon showed defensive frailties and paid the price for it so Wellens will be hopeful that his new-look defence will be amongst one of the best in the upcoming campaign. 

With a clear plan of promotion in mind and growing belief in the fanbase, the 19-20 season is being met with quiet optimism from Town fans and if Wellens can sort out the ongoing problems that have haunted Swindon previously, there may lie an exciting season ahead for the club.